A bipartisan group in the N.C. House has introduced legislation that would transfer misdemeanor offenses by 16- and 17-year-olds from adult courts to the juvenile system.
Supporters touted House Bill 399, the Young Offenders Rehabilitation Act, during a Tuesday afternoon news conference. North Carolina is one of just two states that automatically prosecute all 16- and 17-year-old misdemeanor defendants as adults, even for the lowest-level offenses.
A 2013 report for the John Locke Foundation spelled out the potential benefits of raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction.
Click play below to watch the 24-minute news briefing associated with the H.B. 399.